After being introduced to ARC Centre for ADM+S: first, reflect on one area or project you find particularly interesting and why. Second, reflect on a connection to automated decision-making and AI that you hadn’t previously considered (e.g., the link between AI/ADM and Mobilities).
https://www.admscentre.org.au/adm-ecosystems-and-multispecies-relationships/
ADM Ecosystems and multi-species relationships
The ARC Centre for ADM+S project l found interesting was the ADM Ecosystems and multi-species relationships, this project caught my eye as it focuses on the relationships between human and their environments compared to animals and their ecosystems. I found it interesting as they are researching human inventions such as delivery drones for groceries, meals and other goods, to digital bioacoustics. Upon reading digital bioacoustics, l was unsure of what it was exactly and did some research on it myself, it is a small digital recorder used to pick up sounds by animals that cannot be heard by human ears, the researchers then gather the data and sounds then use AI to interpret it into animal speech (Guardian, 2022). I found this extremely interesting as I’ve never heard of it before and find it fascinating how they use Automated Decision Making tools to compare the two very different ecosystems and environments. The Guardian article brought up a point that l had found very compelling in terms of digital bioacoustics, it mentions the possible risks of engaging, listening and understanding the conversations of different species. But the ARC Centre focuses its research on other aspects of this topic, with what we know of their findings and outcomes so far, the objectives so far are to display how environments and ecosystems evolve with the extremities of heat, droughts, floods and fires by creating a ADM+Ecosystem toolkit to resolve and come up with plans for these issues.
I never would have expected AI and ADM to be connected in researching environments, ecosystems and animal sounds. Upon reading the ARC Centre’s research on the topic of Ecosystems and multi-species relationships it made me realise that ADM and AI can be used for so much more than online systems but can be used in real-world situations. This week’s reading ‘How to wrench open the black box of algorithms that decide our fate’ from ABC News, explained visually the decisions made about us are being made for us. The black box can be used to make all sorts of conclusions about us from big choices such as Visas, insurance claims and more; to smaller decisions of map routes, films and music that we get recommended, etc (ABC 2022). Everyday choices get made for us without us even thinking about it or realising it, it is something that l, myself never personally considered but now that these ideas and concepts have been brought to light, l find myself seeing them everywhere and recognise how much Automated Decision Making is apart of our everyday lives.
Bakker K (2022) ‘Science is making it possible to ‘hear’ nature. It does more talking then we knew’, The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/30/science-hear-nature-digital-bioacoustics
Fell J, Spraggon B, Liddy M (2022) ‘How to wrench open the black box of algorithms that decide our fate’, ABC News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-12-12/robodebt-algorithms-black-box-explainer/101215902